====== Coronary vasospasm ======

//Coronary vasospasm// or //Coronary Artery Spasm// is a condition in which the arteries which supply the heart spontaneously constrict - leading to a lack of oxygen and a type of angina (chest pain) called //Vasospastic angina// or// Prinzmetal angina //(named after the doctor who first identified the condition in 1959).

In serious cases it can lead to a heart attack. The prevalence of the condition among the global population has not yet been accurately quantified, and the underlying biological mechanisms which lead to it are unknown.

>__Although the pathogenesis of coronary artery spasm has not been fully elucidated, __different pathogenic mechanisms have been proposed, such as vascular smooth muscle cell hyperreactivity, endothelial dysfunction, magnesium deficiency, low-grade inflammation, altered autonomic nervous system response and oxidative stress – variables that could be modified by genetic factors.
>\\ Source : [[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875213618301323?via%3Dihub|Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases]], {{:oa_padlock_grn.png?16&nolink|Open Access}} Volume 112, Issue 1, January 2019, Pages 44-55

Note that the condition is now considered as separate to //Angina Pectoris - //which has similar symptoms (though brought on by exertion rather than occurring spontaneously) and is caused by narrowing of the arteries due to [[content:medicine:diseases:a-f:arterial_sclerosis]]